The Unforgiven Trilogy
by Beastial Moon
Summary: A songfic in three parts. Sequel to Skipper and the Church. Focuses on Private's past. All three songs are a part of the Unforgiven trilogy. read and review!
1. Act I

The Unforgiven: A songfic in three parts

ACT ONE

Skipper looked at the young Private.

"You don't have to tell them about this if you don't want to." Private looked at his family – Kowalski, Rico, Marlene, and the lemurs

"I have to, Skipper. I can't keep secrets like you." Private sat down, and skipper headed to the back of the crowd The stars hung high in the sky, illuminating the city as Private began his tale.

SCENE ONE

South America, 1994. Norma and Oswald are cooing over their new-hatched son, Elijah. Elijah hugged them repeatedly. His memories of this time were blurry, as were all animals at new-birth.

**New Blood Joins this Earth  
And quickly he's subdued**

He had been taught at an early age that the military was a good place to go for the future, instead of hanging out in the cold and snow. So, when he was about four (the penguin coming – of – age) he put in an application. He was picked up in less than a week.

He was taught to be ruthless. It wasn't a part of who he was, and he struggled with the wrath of war. He was punished if he showed any mercy.

**Through constant Pained disgrace  
The young boy learns the rules**

He did his best. With time, he got better. He found himself relishing in the smells.

**With time the child draws in  
This whipping boy done wrong**

Then, he met Judi. She was his first love, and it almost cost him. Love was not a thing they allowed at camp. Judi told him about the outside world, how there was more to life than killing. Private's widened view of the world changed everything. Unfortunately, Judi found someone else to take care of her. someone more compassionate than he was at the time. So he went back to the field.

**Deprived of all his thoughts  
The young man struggles on and on  
Oh, a vow unto his own  
That never from this day**

He vowed to himself to be kinder to his enemies – he would try to keep it painless as possible. But this wasn't enough for him. He needed to see justice done, but at what cost?

**His will they take away**

**What I've felt  
What I've known  
Never shined through in what I've shown  
Never be  
Never see  
Won't see what might have been**

The fire crackled. Rico had started a fire to keep them warm as Private told them the Truth.

"I had no Idea." Marlene said softly

"Most People don't. My cute and cuddliness is a blessing and a curse, come with high costs." Private responded

"So, what happened? How did you get out?"

Private took a breath, and continued his tale.

**What I've felt  
What I've known  
Never shined through in what I've shown  
Never free  
Never me  
So I dub thee unforgiven**

SCENE TWO

**They dedicate their lives  
To running all of his  
He tries to please them all  
This bitter man he is**

Private Elijah tried to stay in line, do his duty. But there were time when he head to back out, when it was getting too bloody. The smell was beginning to make him sick. Blood, like salted rust, made his throat wet with the stench.

**Throughout his life the same  
He's battled constantly  
This fight he cannot win  
A tired man they see no longer cares**

He went through many more battles, hanging out but not doing much. Hiding from his superiors. One day, the blood made him so sick that he retched up his own. The smell of that made him throw up again – and again – and again. He felt like dying by the time a medic came around.

**The old man then prepares  
To die regretfully**

"**That old man here is me" **

Private said. Symbollically, he was very old. He had been through war, maybe more so than Skipper. And still he retained his cuddleness. That feat in itself was worthy of recognition.

**I've felt  
What I've known  
Never shined through in what I've shown  
Never free  
Never me  
So I dub thee unforgiven**

What I've felt  
What I've known  
Never shined through in what I've shown  
Never be  
Never see  
Won't see what might have been

What I've felt  
What I've known  
Never shined through in what I've shown  
Never free  
Never me  
So I dub thee unforgiven 

A bird flapped its wings overhead. The silence was almost eerie, settling into spookiness. Eventually Private said

"A lot of what I'm saying here I have no emotion for. No sadness, no grief, no anger, no joy. Absolutely nothing. Which scares me, because it means my days in the field still impact me emotionally." He had started crying now, tears down his face.  
"I – I'm sorry. I'll have to continue this tomorrow night." And with that, he lumbered off in to his bunk.

**Never free  
Never me  
So I dub thee unforgiven**

You labelled me  
I'll label you  
So I dub thee unforgiven

Never free  
Never me  
So I dub thee unforgiven

You labelled me  
I'll label you  
So I dub thee unforgiven

Never free  
Never me  
So I dub thee unforgiven


	2. Act II

Unforgiven

Part II

Private lay in his bunk. He had run from these memories for the longest time now. The zoo's recent encounter with near-ruin brought back all those painful years of fighting. He was a killer, through and through. He tried to escape it, but no one can escape how they were raised.

**Lay beside me  
Tell me what they've done**

Skipper sat in silence, watching the young penguin toss in his sleep. What sad troubles were going through his mind? Skipper knew about his past. But it was something Private had to tell the others. It was up to him, not Skipper.

**Speak the words I wanna hear  
To make my demons run  
The door is locked now  
But it's open if you're true **

Private was emotionally conflicted. What would his friends think if he told them everything? Everything ever told… it was impossible to believe. The strange girl penguin who had shown up out of nowhere had told him impossible things. Things not even Skipper knew.

**If you can understand the me  
Then I can understand the you  
**  
**Lay beside me under wicked sky  
Through black of day, dark of night  
We share this pair of lives  
The door cracks open  
But there's no sun shining through**

It was hard to believe her at first, but then after a while he noticed – changes in Skipper. He thought it was just him being Christian, but then he noticed his mannerisms had changed as well. He was usually left – flippered.

This Skipper was right-flippered.

Usually he had Fish coffee before he went to bed. Now he only drank it when he woke up.

And numerous other things.

**Black heart scarring darker still  
But there's no sun shining through  
No, there's no sun shining through  
No, there's no sun shining**

He and Skipper were intertwined. Their past lives, everything.

**What I've felt, what I've known  
Turn the pages, turn the stone  
Behind the door  
Should I open it for you?**

Should he tell them? He sighed, knocking his head against the board. Skipper was in bed already.

He had to tell them. But first, he'd tell them of his own past. Start off slow, and then get into Skipper's complications.

**Yeah, what I've felt  
What I've known  
Sick and tired, I stand alone  
Could you be there**

THE NEXT MORNING

"Guys, I'm sorry I had so much trouble last night. I promise to do better." he said to the animals.  
"Private, its fine. It's perfectly alright." Skipper reassured. Private started up again.

**Cause I'm the one who waits for you  
or are you unforgiven too?**

The day came when Elijah was taken on a special ops mission. He was undercover with another – an opossum. Her name was Barbara. She was kind of cute, and they got along really nice. In another life, Private would have enjoyed staying with her. But it wasn't to be.

The last mission was to find a swindler. He sold advanced technology in the form of mini golf equipment. And he called himself. 'The Armadillo Kid'. In a battle of golf, Private had to hit a ball off of Barbara's ice cream cone. She wasn't mad; she knew it had to be done. But Private never forgave himself.  
**  
Come lay beside me  
this won't hurt, I swear  
She loves me not  
She loves me still  
But she'll never love again  
She lay beside me  
But she'll be there when I'm gone**

Then the unthinkable happened. In a return vengeance, The Armadillo Kid broke into Barb's base. They found her under the covers. Private never looked under the covers.

**Black heart scarring darker still  
Yeah, she'll be there when I'm gone  
Yeah, she'll be there when I'm gone  
Dead sure she'll be there**

Private could see Julien, Marlene and a few others crying. Good. He needed the emotional support.

**What I've felt, what I've known  
Turn the pages, turn the stone  
Behind the door  
Should I open it for you?**

Yeah, what I've felt, what I've known  
Sick and tired, I stand alone  
Could you be there  
'Cause I'm the one who waits for you  
Or are you unforgiven too?

He faked his way out of war. He was given incentive to go back to home. Back to Antarctica. But first, he had to do one last mission. A mission back home. Unfortunately, he never completed the mission. Or maybe fortunately. Fate is strange that way. He returned to Antarctica, only to find it a desolate wasteland. The humans had taken over.

**Lay beside me, tell me what I've done  
The door is closed, so are your eyes  
But now I see the sun, now I see the sun  
Yes, now I see it**

What I've felt, what I've known  
Turn the pages, turn the stone  
Behind the door  
Should I open it for you?

Yeah, what I've felt, what I've known  
So sick and tired, I stand alone  
Could you be there  
'Cause I'm the one who waits  
The one who waits for you

He was picked up by another human. He was put in a cage, and put on their ship, moving on towards worlds unknown.

**Oh, what I've felt, what I've known  
Turn the pages, turn the stone  
Behind the door  
Should I open it for you?**

Oh, what I've felt  
Oh, what I've known  
I take this key and I bury it in you  
Because you're unforgiven too

Never free, never me  
'Cause you're unforgiven too, oh

He paused in his story. This was how he got to the Zoo in the first place, and how he became the cute and cuddly Private he is today.

**A&N: OKAY! I'm in a bit of a fix here. As you can semi – see, I have somehow managed to drag in my other story that I'm working on. (As It Should Be) So I'm going to finish that first, then this one. For Fanpopers who are reading this story and want to know what went on with Skippers past, go to /Beastialmoon. The stories in order are Emotional Brew, Across the Multiverse and As it should be. I hope to get all up in a timely fashion. good day!**


	3. Act III

**The Unforgiven Trilogy**

**ACT III**

Elijah drifted on, unaware of his surroundings for days. The humans fed him on a regular basis, so he didn't starve. But he didn't know what he was doing. What did the humans want with him? He met another penguin. Two, actually. A male and a Female. They were both very friendly. The female seemed to get attached to him. The male had all these fanatical ideas about where they were going.

**How could he know  
This new dawn's light  
Would change his life forever?**

**Set sail to sea  
But pulled off course  
By the light of golden treasure**

During his trip across the vast oceans, he was falling in love with adventure. The male penguin told him about fantastical creatures he had never dreamed of, of animals so fierce they would rip your heart out in a heartbeat.

Badgers. Both of the other penguins seemed scared of them, and with reason. Their parents had been mauled by Badgers. The male's name was Ricardo, and the female was Shania. Elijah spent many a night not sleeping and dreaming of far – off lands. ****

Was he the one causing pain  
With his careless dreaming?  
Been afraid  
Always afraid  
Of the things he's feeling

He remembered what had happened to him in the past when he got sidetracked from a goal. The goal was to run as far away from the wars as possible. So he kept on, ignoring the fantastical world around him.****

He could just be gone  
He would just sail on  
He'll just sail on

How can I be lost,  
If I've got nowhere to go?  
Search for seas of gold  
How come it's got so cold?

How can I be lost?  
In remembrance I relive**  
****And how can I blame you  
When it's me I can't forgive?**

He couldn't forgive himself from the past experiences. His only love had wound up dead.****

These days drift on  
Inside a fog  
It's thick and suffocating

He went on, somehow. The memories remained, refusing to go away. Finally, they landed in America.****

His sinking life  
Outside it's hell  
inside, intoxicating

The penguins escaped from the ship, getting a good surveillance of the land. Tall skyscrapers loomed over them. They went through the streets, finding a safe haven in a hotel.****

He's run aground  
Like his life  
Water much too shallow

Eventually, they continued on. They came upon the Hoboken zoo. They stayed for a few days, and then Private left. They stayed behind, used to the comfort. He had gotten used to Shania's company, and he thought he might love her, even. ****

Slipping fast  
Down with his ship  
Fading in the shadows

Now a castaway  
They've all gone away  
They've gone away

But he didn't get to say anything, for when he returned he found an earthquake had hit. Habitats were destroyed, collapsed together and apart in the rubble. The Penguins habitat was demolished, no one was found alive.****

How can I be lost  
If I've got nowhere to go?  
Search for seas of gold  
How come it's got so cold?

How can I be lost?  
In remembrance I relive  
And how can I blame you  
When it's me I can't forgive?

Elijah wallowed in guilt he conjured for himself. His friends were dead, or at the very most never going to return ever again. He picked at a flower he had found in the rubble.****

"Forgive me  
Forgive me not  
Forgive me  
Forgive me not  
Forgive me  
Forgive me not" he muttered to himself, picking off the petals one by oneon hiswalk around New York.**  
Forgive me  
Forgive me  
Why can't I forgive me?**

(Solo)

He came upon another zoo. This one was in the center of a giant park. It looked pleasant, much more so than the trashed remains of Hoboken. He started off towards the gates.****

Set sail to sea  
But pulled off course  
By the light of golden treasure

How could he know  
This new dawn's light  
Would change his life forever?

He was greeted with open arms by a penguin, about his height. He was obviously paranoid, but caring at the same time. His name was Skipper. The Skipper told him to get to bed, because training would begin in the A.M. ****

How can I be lost,  
If I've got nowhere to go?  
Search for seas of gold  
How come it's got so cold?

How can I be lost?  
In remembrance I relive  
So how can I blame you  
When it's me I can't forgive?

Private finished his tale. The animals were solemnly quiet. A few were crying, and he noticed some in the back. He looked. There were five penguins watching him.

That wasn't right. He looked closer, coming in through the crowd.

His walk turned into a jog. His jog turned into a run. He recognized the faces of those penguins – it couldn't be! Was it? He reached the five of them. They were waiting. Rico, Kowalski and Skipper stepped aside to reveal Ricardo and Shania.

He ran up to Shania and hugged her. Everyone was teary eyed, except for Marlene who was bawling. The story was almost complete. There was just one more final thing to settle.

"Skipper, can I see your log?" Private asked. Skipper handed him his tape player. Private Elijah took out the tape and handed it back to Skipper. In its place went a tape Private had grabbed out of seemingly thin air. On the side was their only marking, the word "Private." Written by the female stranger that had come out of nowhere in their habitat a year or so ago.

Private pressed play, and allowed for the story of Skipper's life to unfold.


End file.
